David Lago

Review of Tallgrass Taphouse

Note- this is the same review I posted on Yelp.

Note- this is the same review I posted on Yelp.

My husband and I were really excited to try Taphouse when it opened. Unfortunately, we've been twice now and were not terribly impressed either time.

So far we've had
two flights of beer- the first time we went they were out of almost all the in-house-made beer so my husband got stuck with mainly beer he'd already had from the brand from the liquor store. The second time was much better.
Potato nachos- Really good, I love the chili
Mac & Cheese- Also really good. I was skeptical about it as a meal but it was very rich & filling.
Rootbeer Pork Belly- My husband said the taste was good, but the portion seemed small.
Broccoli- Very plain, no flavor, a bit dry

Chicken & Biscuit sliders- My husband said they weren't bad, but they weren't anything special either. He said "Nothing memorable about them"
Midwest Paella- I was very disappointed with the Paella. The rice seemed underdone and the shitake mushrooms were somewhat hard and chewy- like they used dried mushrooms that hadn't properly rehydrate. Beyond that I was honestly irritated that the dish was $16 and comes with THREE small strips of steak on top. I was expecting to get Paella with steak, but it felt like the dish was 90% rice and maybe 5% steak. If it were $12-13 I wouldn't have been so annoyed but for $16 I expect more than three strips of meat.
Cheesecake- The cheesecake was good but I believe premade. The expresso sauce was excellent but the Key lime sauce (I ordered two sauces on the side so I could try both) was incredibly sharp and "medicinal" as my husband put it.

Three people at our table ordered pizzas. First off they are bigger than expected, which isn't a bad thing. Def not intended for one person to eat alone. Two of them looked great (Margarita and the sausage one) but the friend who had peperoni pizza's looked pretty rough. It seemed like all the sauce, cheese and toppings were in the center leaving most of the pizza as crust.

Overall I think Taphouse isn't bad, per say. The atmosphere is great, the staff is friendly and very knowledgeable. It made a nice date night and a nice going away dinner with friends. But, it really comes down to feeling like it wasn't worth the expense. Both times we spent about $50 for two people. I felt like the concept is there with the price point but the food (and the portions of entrees) just don't live up to the cost.

Honestly, I think that there are better restaurants at the same relative price points in the area (namely, Bourbon & Baker). I would recommend Taphouse as a try it or for a good atmosphere to drink with friends but really I don't foresee going back much.